Thill-coupling



'.ROLF.

OUPLING.

' Patented D55. 25, 1894.

F. TH

(No Model.)

AEs my.

- UNITED STATES;

PATENT} OFFICE. i

FREDERICK WILLIAM ROLF, OF LAWRENCEBURG, INDIANA.

.THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming p a of Letters Patent No. 531,565, dated December 25,1894. Application filed A ril 6,1894. Sria1No.506.595. (No model.)

.vide a device which will couple thills to an axle eye or bearing without the use of nuts or screws. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a locking spring which will also take up lost motion and prevent rattling as well as loeking the thill-journals in position.

The features of my invention will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- I Figure 1, is a side elevation of one side of my improvement attached to the axle. Fig. 2, is a section online 01.3w, Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of the thill-iron. Fig. 4, is

a section on line 12, QgFig. 3. Fig. 5, is a central vertical section of a modification.

A represents the thill-iron; B, the hub or boss on the rear end of the iron. 0 represents a stud pin. E represents the axle eye. The preferred form of construction is to make it integral with the saddle F which embraces the axle G.

H represents the ordinary yoke or U shaped bolt for clamping the thill-eye'jo the axle. In this form of construction one limb ofthe bolt passes through a hole pierced vertically through the thill-eye; The stud pin 0 journals in the axle eye. It is provided'with a groove or recess'a, opposite the slot 22, in the thilleye. of construction shown in Fig. 1, is an extension of the yoke plate J. The free end of said spring projects up through the mortise b and rests in the groove or recess a of the journal pin 0, and the shoulders of the pin at the sides of the groove or recess a bear against the sides of the spring, thereby holding the journal pin and thills laterally in position, while the journal 0 is free to oscillate in its bearing.

In the preferred form of construction the slot or recess a, is crescent shaped leaving I represents a spring which in the form other, and are usually employed as rights and lofts.

It is not absolutely essential that the stud pin 0 should be made integral with the thilliron, but it is rigidly connected to the thilliron as. it' does not have to be removed in *couplingand uncoupling the parts.

In the, modification shown in Fig. 5, the spring instead of being formed by the extension of the yoke plate is inserted in the mortise b of the thill-eye E, and the spring is provided with a lug or catch L engaging against the ofi-set in the saddle F so that the spring may be made detachable by compressing the free arms. In some respects this form of construction is preferable over that shown in Fig. 1, as in case the spring is broken it can be replaced.

Mode of operation: The axle eyes E are clamped to an axle. The thill-irons are attached to the thills with a stud pin projected outwardly. The free arm of the spring is projected up through the mortise b. The stud pin 0 of one thill-iron is inserted into its bearing. It forces the spring E back so as to allowit to pass through and the spring will recoil and lie in the recess a of the stud. The opposite iron can be inserted by springing the thill and thill-iron inward far enough to allow the points of the stud pin to pass inside of the thill-eye when it is brought back opposite the bearing in said eye and will force itself into position when the strain is removed from the thill. The thills are removed in the following manner: The free arm of one spring is forced back out of the recess a. The thill 5 5 When the thills are held and the thill-iron are sprung inward until,

the stud pin Chas passed out of the eye,

all i ,m

when the opposite stud pin is released in the same manner. Of course the stud pin 0 could enter from the outside of the axle eye passing inward. It is immaterial which mode 5 is adopted.

I claim Athill coupling consisting of the saddle F clamped to the axle and having an eye E provided with the vertical slot 12, the thill iron [0 A provided with boss B, the stud or pin 0 having one end rigidly connected with said boss and its other end engaged in the eye E and provided with a groove or recess a, reg- FREDERICK WVILLIAM ROLF.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM N. ECKSTEIN, JOHN L. K0011. 

